1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to an image forming apparatus, an image processing method, a program and a recording medium, and more particularly to an image forming apparatus, such as a laser beam printer, a digital copier or a digital multi-function peripheral, that is equipped with the Z-folding device.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, with the spreading of the computers and the printers, abundant document data are created individually. And the sheet forms of various sizes, such as A4, A3, B4, and B5, are used for printing the created data.
To bind up the two or more sheets of such various sizes carrying the printed data into one volume, it is necessary that the sheets of the reference size are set up, the sheets of the size larger than the reference size are folded to match the reference size, and the punch holes are formed and the staplers are fastened.
On the other hand, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 2003-020163 discloses the Z folding mechanism in which the sheet folding position can be easily changed and the sheets are folded certainly at the desired folding position.
Moreover, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 2000-141793 discloses the print card creation device which uses the roll in which the continuous paper extending in the direction of the length and having the fixed width is wounded around the cylindrical core, and forms the image on the card-like medium such as the greeting card. With the print card creation device, the print card suitable for the double folding or triple folding can be provided.
Moreover, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 2000-092307 discloses the image processing device in which the size of the output sheet form and the folding setting are inputted, the position of the folding line or frame is set up based on the input folding setting, and the size of the output image and/or the arrangement of the folding are set up based on the line or the frame.
In the conventional Z-folding device described above, only the folding of the sheet sizes A3 and B4 is possible and all the sheets in which the sheet feeding is possible are folded. However, when the printing is performed with the sheets of various sizes, or when the copy sheets of various sizes in which the data is printed are created, the user is not uncertain at which position the sheets being printed or copied are folded, where the punch holes or the staplers are formed, and in which direction the paper is delivered.